Stirring account of the Greeks' encounters with the Persians in the 5th century B.C., including the battle of Marathon, the defense of Thermopylae, and the battle of Salamis, all retold from the history of Herodotus. Illustrations from sculptures and vases accompany the text. Ages 12-15

211 pages

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OF THE PREPARING OF THE PERSIANS AND OF THE GREEKS FOR THE WAR

[248] MARDONIUS and his host had their winter quarters in
Thessaly. When he was now about to leave them, he sent
one Mys, a man of Caria, to inquire of the oracles.
This Mys inquired of the oracles and of Amphiaraus in
Thebes. (No Theban may inquire of Amphiaraus, for he
gave them their choice whether they would have him for
their prophet or their helper; and they chose to have
him for their helper.) But when Mardonius read the
answer that had been given to Mys, he sent an envoy to
Athens, even Alexander of Macedon, choosing him because
his sister was married to a Persian, and because he was
a friend to the Athenians.

Of the ancestors of Alexander there is told this story.
Three brothers of the royal house
[249] of Argos came into the land of Macedonia and took
service with the King, one tending the horses, and one
the cows, and one the smaller cattle. In those days not
the people only but the kings also were poor, so that
the King's wife was wont to bake the bread. And when
she baked it she saw that the loaf of Perdiccas, that
was the youngest of the brothers, grew to be twice as
large as the other loaves. And as this happened day
after day she told it to her husband. Then the man
perceiving that it was a miracle, and signified no
small matter, bade the three depart out of the country.
But when they would have had their wages, he said to
them, for it chanced that the sun was shining down the
chimney into the house, "Here are your fit wages. This
I give you;" and he pointed to the sunshine, for the
Gods had taken his wits from him. The two elder stood
astonished and said nothing, but the youngest, having a
knife in his hand, drew a line with it on the floor
round the sunshine, and made as if he would draw it up
into his bosom three times, and so departed and his
brothers with him. Now when they were gone, one went
and told to the King what the
[250] youngest had done; and the King, when he heard it, was
angry, and sent horsemen after them to slay them. But a
certain river swelled so high when the three brothers
of Argos had safely crossed it, that the horsemen
could not follow. (Their descendants yet do sacrifice
to this river as to their saviour.) The brothers took
up their abode in a place which they call the Gardens
of Midas. (Here are roses so great as can not be found
elsewhere, having each sixty leaves, and over the
gardens a mountain so cold that none can climb to the
top.) From this place they went forth till they had
conquered the whole land of Macedonia. From this
Perdiccas came Alexander the Macedonian in the seventh
generation.

Alexander said, "Men of Athens, Mardonius bids me say
that there has come to him this message from the King,
'I forgive the Athenians all their trespasses against
me. And do thou this, Mardonius. Give them back their
land and add to it any other that they will, and build
again the temples that I burned with fire, if they will
make agreement with me. And they shall live under their
own laws.' Mardonius
[251] also says, 'This will I do unless ye on your part
hinder me. And why do ye stand out against the King? Do
ye not know his might? See this great host that I have.
If so be that ye prevail over this, which indeed ye can
not hope to do, there will come against ye a host many
times greater. Why then will ye resist, losing your
country and going always in danger of your lives?'
These are the words of Mardonius; and I, Alexander,
for that I am your friend, beseech you to give ear to
him, and to make agreement with the King, who has
chosen you out of all the Greeks to make friendship and
alliance with you."

Now the Spartans knew that Alexander had been sent by
Mardonius to Athens. Whereupon they also sent
ambassadors; and it was ordered that they should have
audience of the people on the selfsame day. When
therefore Alexander had spoken, the Spartans stood
forth, and urged them that they should not listen to
the words of Mardonius, nor betray the Greeks. Also
they promised that they would give sustenance to their
women and children so long as the war should continue.
To Alexander the Athenians
[252] made this answer: "We know how great is the power of
the barbarians, yet will we resist it to the uttermost,
holding fast to our freedom. Seek not then to persuade
us, but say to Mardonius, 'So long as the sun shall go
by the path which now he goeth, we make no agreement
with Xerxes, but will stand against him, the Gods and
heroes whose temples he has burned with fire helping
us.' And thou, Alexander, come not again to Athens with
such words as these, for thou art our friend and we
would not willingly do thee hurt."

To the Spartans they said, "It is like enough that ye
should be fearful about this thing. Nevertheless ye,
knowing what manner of men we are, did us great wrong.
Know then there is no store of gold in all the world,
nor land so fair that would tempt us to make agreement
with the Persians. For first we can have no peace with
them that have burned with fire our temples and the
images of our Gods. And next we can not betray our
brethren the Greeks that have one tongue with us and
worship the same Gods. Know therefore that so long as
one Athenian shall remain alive we will make no
[253] agreement with Xerxes. As for your kindness to us, we
thank you; but we will not be burdensome to you. Only
lead out your army with all speed. For we doubt not
that the barbarians will invade our land a second
time. Therefore should we meet him in Bœotia, and there
join battle with him."

When Mardonius heard the words of the Athenians he
marched forthwith into Attica, now would he harken to
the Thebans when they counseled him to Tarry in Bœotia
and seek to divide the Greeks against themselves. For
they said, "If the Greeks be at one no power on earth
can subdue them; but if thou wilt send gifts to the
chief men in each state, thou wilt easily prevail." But
Mardonius greatly desired to be master of Athens a
second time. This he did, but the Athenians had
departed, some to their ships, but the greater part to
Salamis.

After this he sent another messenger with the same
words that Alexander of Macedonia had brought, for he
thought, "Now that they have lost their country a
second time they will surely listen to him." When the
man—he was a Greek from the Hellespont—was brought into
[254] the council, a certain councilor, Lycidas, said, "Let
us bring this matter before an assembly of the people."
But when the Athenians, both the councilors and they
that stood without, heard these words, they were full
of wrath, and rose up against Lycidas, and stoned him
with stones that he died. And the women ran with one
accord to his house and slew his wife and his children
in the same fashion. But the messenger the Athenians
sent away without hurt.

ATORCHDANCE

Meanwhile the Athenians had sent ambassadors to
Sparta, complaining that the Spartans had not sent an
army to defend Attica from the barbarians. Now the
Spartans were keeping holiday, for it was the feast of
Hyacinthus, and had no thought for any thing besides.
Also the wall which they were building across the
Isthmus was now well advanced, so that they were
putting on it the battlements. The ambassadors
therefore, being brought in before the Ephors, said,
"The King was willing to make peace with us, and to
give us back our country, and to add to it any other
country that we would. But we would not betray Greece,
though we knew that it should be more
[255] to our profit to make peace with the Persians than to
continue fighting against them. We therefore have been
true to you, but ye have been false to us, caring
nothing for us now that ye have come near to finish
your wall across the Isthmus. But come; now that Bœotia
is lost we shall best fight in the plain of Thria."

To these words the Ephors made no answer, but put off
the matter to the morrow; and on the morrow they did
likewise, and so for ten days.

But on the tenth day there came to the Ephors a man of
Tegea, one Chileus, that had more weight with the
Spartans than any other stranger. This Chileus said,
"The matter stands thus, ye Ephors. If the Athenians be
not your friends but make agreement with the Persians,
then how strong soever shall be your wall across the
Isthmus, there will be many doors open into the
Peloponnese. Hearken therefore to what these men say
while it is time."

This counsel they took to heart. To the ambassadors
they said nothing, but that same night they sent five
thousand Spartans, and with each seven helots, their
captain being Pausanias,
[256] the son of Cleombrotus. The next day the ambassadors
came unto the Ephors, being minded to depart to their
own country, and said, "Ye Spartans stay at home and
keep holiday and leave the Greeks to perish. We
Athenians will make agreement with the King, and will
go with him whithersoever he will lead us."

To this the Ephors made answer with an oath, "The men
are gone against the strangers (for they called the
barbarians strangers), and are now in Oresteum of
Arcadia." When the ambassadors heard this they also
departed; and at the same time there went five thousand
men of Laconia, chosen men and fully armed.

When the men of Argos knew that the Spartans had
departed they sent a messenger to Mardonius, the
swiftest runner they could find—for they had promised
to keep the Spartans from coming—saying, "The Spartans
have set forth, neither could we stay them. Take heed
therefore to thyself." When Mardonius heard this he
would tarry no longer in Attica, but departed
straightway, having first burned with fire and
destroyed all that yet stood, whether house or temple.
For Attica was not fit for horsemen,
[257] and if he should be worsted in the battle, there was no
escape save by one narrow pass only. Wherefore he was
minded to go back into Bœotia, for this country was fit
for horsemen, and also was the country of friends. But
while he was on his way there came another messenger
saying that there was a thousand Spartans in the land
of Megara, having come in advance of the army; and,
thinking that he might cut them off, he changed his
purpose and marched toward Megara, while the horsemen
ravaged the country. Nor did the Persians make their
way toward the setting sun further than this. And now
there came another messenger saying that the whole army
of the Peloponnesians was at the Isthmus. Therefore he
turned his course, and came into the territory of the
Thebans. And here he encamped his army along the river
Asopus from Erythræ to Platæa. And though the Thebans
were friends to the Persians, he cut down all the trees
in the country, not from hatred but from need, because
he would have a rampart and a place of refuge if the
battle should go against him. Such a rampart he made of
ten furlongs every way.

[258] While the Persians were building this defense a certain
Theban made a great feast to Mardonius and the
Persians. Concerning this feast Thersander, a notable
citizen of Orchomenus, told this story to Herodotus:
"I was called to this feast with other Thebans, fifty
in all, and there were called also fifty Persians. We
were not set apart, but on each couch a Persian and a
Theban; and when we had dined and were now drinking,
the Persian that was on the same couch said to me in
the Greek tongue. 'Whence art thou?' and I said, 'I am
of Orchomenus.' Then said he, 'Since thou hast eaten
with me from the same table and poured out a libation
from the same cup, I will leave with thee a memorial of
my belief, and this the more that thou mayest look
after thine own life. Thou seest these Persians that
are feasting with us and this army that we left
encamped on the river. Of all these thou shalt see in a
short time but few remaining.' And when the Persian
had so spoken he wept bitterly. And I said to him, for
I marveled much at his words,
'Shouldst thou not tell this to Mardonius and to the
Persians that are in high place with
[259] him?' But the Persian answered, 'O my friend, that
which the Gods order a man can not change, for though
he speak the truth no one will hearken to him. Many of
the Persians know these things that I have said unto
thee, but are constrained by necessity to follow
whither we are led. But of all the griefs in man's life
none is so sore as this, to know much and to have power
to do nothing.' "

This story did Thersander tell to Herodotus, as he told
it to many others also, even before the battle of
Platæa.

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